Introduction:

Welcome to the 68th installment of Bf+Gf Anime Review where you can find a double-sided review that aims to help you decide if various anime are worth watching! Sorry for the huge delay! Let's wrap up our Fall Anime Reviews from 2014 with When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace! (Warning this review contains some spoilers).

When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace:

"Oh wow! Huge battle! Much excite! Yeah this happens in like episode one and that's it. Don't get too excited kids!"

Synopsis:

When Supernatural Battles Became Common Place (Also Known As: Inou-Battle wa Nichijo-kei no Naka de) is a twelve episode Comedy, Harem, Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life anime based on a Light Novel and Manga series of the same name. It follows the story of the Literature Club Members after they mysteriously and randomly gain super powers. Ando, the 'chunibyo' (Someone who remains childish and lives in a fantasy world) of the group revels in their new powers, even if his is completely and utterly useless. The other girls of the Club gain more useful abilities, such as the ability to stop time, teleport, or control elements. But despite Ando's dreams of becoming super heroes and saving the world no earth shattering event hits and the group is forced to life out their average, daily lives, just with the added addition of super powers.

Note: When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplaceis available for streaming at Crunchyroll.com.

Review:

"God, why can't you girls like it when I wanna stare at your panties? Jeeeeez."

Linny: This show started off very entertaining and fun for me. I loved the rather unique storyline of what happens when teenagers get super powers and then just continue on with their daily lives, rather than the very common teenager/s get super powers, immediately become heroes for justice. It was fun to watch Ando go all out fanboy with the arrival and discovery of their superpowers and his reluctant friends tag along for the ride. Watching the characters have fun with their powers was equally fun to watch.

Tom: What makes the show quite entertaining for the first half of its twelve episode run is that cast of the characters. While the show can be a bit haremy, even early on, its presented with a group of teenagers that feel fun and crazy. Their powers compliment the nature of each’s personality and helps to make the show feel vibrant and fun even if we’re still just dealing with the day to day. The show hits its high point mid-season with the greatest rant in anime history when Hatoko (the girl with element powers) goes crazy screaming at Ando. This moment signifies the highest point of the show before everything goes down hill. But I’ll leave the honor of describing that angsty and disappointing turn of events to Linny.

"If you don't watch this show at least check out episode seven. Best and longest rant in anime history. Goes way beyond what's in the Gif."

Linny: What the EFF happens once the show enters it's second stage... Like seriously, I'm asking people who watched this show. First off, you suddenly have all these random characters taking up screen time and even our beloved characters start having some mundane and random meltdowns all for the sake of nonsensical drama. Then you get this really ham fisted explanation for why these kids got their powers but you never really witness any real resolution. Don't even get me started on how ridiculous and unsatisfying the finale episode is. All the goodwill and character attachment they build up for the introductory main cast disappears completely as you're forced to sit and watch brand new, never-mentioned-or-seen-before characters chatter on about stuff you're never ever given a proper explanation for or experience of at all. It's so disappointing to remember how much fun I had in the first half of the show, and then recall how much I despised the second half.

"You're bored? I'm bored by having to watch mega late cast introduced characters like you! Go find your own show!"

Tom: It’s that halfway point that marks the collapse of an otherwise stellar start. While the ham-fisted backstory and explanations for the super powers eventually pulls away to allow us to return to our regular cast, the show periodically jumps back to those mid-season introduced characters that you never end up giving a shit about. To top all that off the plot lines for our main cast crash down into the cliched. The audience is continually subjected to harem/romance plot line after plot line. The show loses all momentum and ultimately nothing interesting comes about by the final episode. For everything it does right the show sabotages itself so effectively that all the goodwill it generated amounts to nothing. I’ll be giving Inou Battle a 4.5 out of 10. Truly one of the big disappointments of 2014.

Linny: Well, I'm going to be even more stingy with the score and give it only a 4.0 out of 10 because all the love I developed for the first half was so throughly decimated by the second half, and for that, the show must pay. To anyone interested in picking up this show, I'd recommend you only stick to the first part of the series and treat it like a mini comedy anime. The second half is something you should only watch if you're morbidly curious or you like to watch the things you love being burned and torn down to pieces that no longer bear any resemblance to that which you held dear.

Combined Score: 4.25 out of 10

"This accurately sums up all major cast plot lines post episode 8. Yay! Now you don't have to watch them!"

Thanks for reading our review! Linny and I have now caught up with all the reviews and previews we had backlogged! So unfortunately this means we'll be going silent till the end of the season. But once the Winter Anime season winds down you can expect us bumping out reviews for shows such as Gundam: Reconguista in G, Akatsuki no Yona, Aldnoah.Zero Part 2, and more! We'll also begin previewing the many shows we'll be watching during the Spring Anime season! See you all in April!

Introduction:

Welcome to the 67th installment of Bf+Gf Anime Review where you can find a double-sided review that aims to help you decide if various anime are worth watching! Sorry for the huge delay! Let's get back to reviewing Fall Anime from 2014 with Hi-sCoool! Seha Girls! (Warning this review contains some spoilers).

Hi-sCoool! Seha Girls:

"Akira knows no Chivalry."

Synopsis:

Hi-sCoool! Seha Girls is a thirteen episode fantasy/comedy anime based on a light novel series. It focuses on anthropomorphized versions of Sega's three main consoles: Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, and Sega Dreamcast. These three girls go to Sehagaga Academy where to graduate they have to enter in the game world's of various Sega franchises and earn medals. Watch as these three go through crazy whacky adventures in each of the games they enter. The big question is whether any of them can really get the medals to graduate.

Note: Hi-sCoool! Seha Girlsis available for streaming at Crunchyroll.com.

Review:

"Sex Appeal = Massive Viewership."

Tom: Seha Girls isn’t the waifu obsessed show many feared it would be upon first announcement. Instead it’s a witty little comedy that throws out joke after joke calling back to the glory days of Sega when they were true rivals for Nintendo. The jokes focus on some of Sega’s more popular games and subtle jabs at their popular consoles. The three main girls are loads of fun, with personalities that upon close inspection greatly resemble and bring to life the consoles they’re based on. From a gamers perspective there’s a lot to love here especially if you were around during the glory days of Sega’s home consoles.

"This has never worked for me in CoD."

Linny: And even if, like me, you never really got to experience the Sega golden years, the jokes and gags are still very hilarious and the show is still completely accessible so long as you have some interest in the world of video games. Though it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a fanboy around to help you get some of the more vague jokes. Also, Tom isn't lying when he says the show is non sexualized. For those picking up this show hoping for super sexy waifus, better luck next time!

Tom: Perhaps the best thing about Seha Girls is it knows how to make perfect use of its short run time. Not once did the show overstay it's welcome and perhaps the only disappointing aspect is that additional Sega girls based on the consoles didn't make appearances throughout the short twelve episode run. I'll be giving Seha Girls a solid 8.5 out of 10 for the ten minutes of pure fun it gave us every week.

"Sadly some of the more obscure Sega consoles and peripherals only get minimal screen time."

Linny: For me, the only real negative of the show (besides the aforementioned lack of other console girls) was the animation style/quality. It never proved a deterrent for us but I worry that it might turn more casual viewers off due to its low budget looks, and cause those people to miss out on some adorable and hilarious comedy. This show is a must see for nostalgic Sega fans and anybody else in the mood for a cutesy video game based comedy show. For being better than I could have ever imagined, I too give this show a solid 8.5 out of 10.

Combined Score: 8.5 out of 10

"Mega Drive knows how to take badass Purikura photos."

Thanks for reading our review! Expect a review for When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace Tomorrow!

Introduction:

Welcome to the 66th installment of Bf+Gf Anime Review where you can find a double-sided review that aims to help you decide if various anime are worth watching! Sorry for the huge delay! Let's get back to reviewing Fall Anime from 2014 with I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying! (Warning this review contains some spoilers).

I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying:

"Hey, Hajime, don't go spoiling the review for people!"

Synopsis:

I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying is a thirteen episode comedy, slice of life anime based off the 4-koma manga of the same name. It follows Kaoru, a working woman, and her otaku husband Hajime. Their relationship is an odd one in this quirky, odd, and disturbing comedy!

Note: I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Sayingis available for streaming at Crunchyroll.com.

"I'd send my little brother home too if he was like that."

Review:

Linny: Well, well, what a coincidence! It's Valentine's Day and we're reviewing a show about the antics of a married couple. I kind of had high hopes when I first read the premise but sadly, this is one tale told terribly. Another case of 4-koma being blatantly 4-koma, often the show felt really pointless and the gags just fell flat. Due to its 3 minutes runtime, combined with its gag manga source, it was hard for me to really get into the show. That said, it had some sweet and funny moments and episodes which were cute to watch and the short runtime also helped make it easy to sit through without being tempted to drop it immediately.

"Pretty sure a lot of lonely single guys would actually enjoy this scenario."

Tom: Another disrupting factor is the inconsistent animation in later episodes, with episode eleven actually changing visual styles completely! There’s also humor here that clearly crosses lines that some audience members may be uncomfortable with. It gets raunchy, lewd, or creepy and if that’s not your cup of tea I’d steer clear. While that type of humor doesn’t fill the show there’s enough of it, and not enough redeeming qualities, to recommended not suffering through it.

"I'd be concerned with that face if I was her."

Linny: All in all, while we watched this show to the end, I was left with no burning desire or eagerness regarding the second season. I don't dislike it strongly, but I also find myself lacking any reason to recommend this show to anyone. Maybe if you identify with media's idea of being a 'nerd/dork' and dream of having a super hot, "normal" spouse, this show could be fantasy fodder??!!?? IDK. For being rather mundane and chaotic, this show earns a 5.0 out of 10 from me. A middle of the scale score for a middle of the scale show for me.

Tom: This isn’t something for people looking for top quality entertainment. If your time is precious to you its hard to recommended it. While it does have a short length that actually makes it hard to get attached to the characters and the consistently uneven comedy is never gripping enough to keep you hooked. In the end It’s a show better left for when you have too much free time and you’ve already watched all the best. I’ll also be giving it a 5.0 out of 10.

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen and most importantly Hentai! This is the Tom and Linny 2015 Winter Anime Preview! The goal of these will be to give you a basic idea of the quality and nature of the fall anime line up. We'll be doing short previews of the first few episodes for each of the eight shows Linny and I will be trying this season. These previews will be broken up into parts, three shows a preview. So without delay lets jump right into our final preview for the season! (Also: Feel free to comment below. We'd love to hear from you!)

The Rolling Girls:

"Rolling, Falling, Scrambling-- God they're going to do themselves a mischief at this rate."

Alternate Title: Roringu Garuzu (Say it like this, way more fun)

Genre: Coming of Age Story

Original Air Date: Jan 10th, 2015 - Ongoing

Note: Preview based on 2 out of ?? episodes.

Synopsis: The Great Tokyo War rocked Japan and with its conclusion the majority of the political and economic elite vanished without warning. As a result the unified Japan began to fragment, splitting into the original 10 prefectures, each becoming independent states. But peace wouldn't last as vigilantes who fought in the great war, known as "Bests", are hired by each prefecture to fight in territorial disputes. Their supporters, known as "Rests" work to support their leaders as they maintain peace within their communities. But after a difficult battle sees Best Masami Utoku badly injured, Nozomi Moritomo, a Rest, must be out on her own, traveling with other young girls to grow stronger and search for special heart jewels.

"A visual feast."

Linny: The Rolling Girls was a delight to my visual senses. Very colorful, bright and perky. But that was the only thing that grabbed my attention during the 2 episodes we watched. Contrary to its interesting visual style, the story itself was rather boring and confusing. I couldn't really follow any of the story lines and I didn't care for any of the characters. Its hard to stay vested in a show when you don't care about what's happening to any of the characters. Especially when you are struggling to understand what's going on in the story itself.

Tom: The first episode speeds through the very ambitious explanation of what happens to Japan in the future in order to get us to this absurd world we’re in now. It’s very disorienting to watch a show when you’ve barely had time to process the incredible amount of world building they’ve decided to just passingly mention. It doesn’t help that the two episodes felt all over the place. It wasn’t clear where this story was going, who it was about, and why we should care. Like Linny mentioned above it does have the saving grace of a very eye catching visual style, used to great effect for the absurdly over the top battle sequences. Unfortunately if that isn’t enough for you like it wasn’t enough for us then Rolling Girls probably isn’t your cup of tea.

"God please, someone stop this run away train of a show!"

Note: The Rolling Girls is available for streaming at Funimation.com

Maria - The Virgin Witch:

"Not having seen one would indeed make it difficult."

Alternate Title: Junketsu no Maria (And now we know the word for Virgin)

Genre: Fantasy

Original Air Date: Jan 11th 2015 - Ongoing

Note: Preview based on 4 out of 12 episodes.

Synopsis: France, during the Hundred Years' War. The battle with England has no end in sight. The people of France are beginning to feel its effects but nothing is being down accept the endless battle after battle where good men lose their lives. Witches are hired by England to influence the war and France does the same. But there is one Witch who is fed up with war. Maria the Virgin. Using her powers and her faithful, and impertinent succubus Artemis Maria constantly gets in the way of England and France's war. Despite her good deeds the church takes issue with Maria, branding her a deviant of society. But Maria remains strong in her fight for peace, that is until Michael, angel of god, descends from the heavens. Opting not to kill Maria for her transgressions against God's word, he instead puts her under the watch of Ezekiel. Maria may not use her magic to interfere with the ongoing conflict and if she ever loses her virginity Maria will lose her powers forever. But just because Maria's under little Ezekiel's watch doesn't mean she's immediately fall in line.

Linny: Even though I voted for Maria to be on our Winter Watchlist, I was considerably nervous that it would be incredibly offensive and vulgar with its fan service, based on its preview character costumes and the title specifically mentioning her virginity. But to my delighted surprise, it quickly turned into one of our most anticipated weekly shows. The story mixes history and folklore brilliantly, interpreting the holy wars as involving witches in the roles of mercenaries hired by kingdoms to aid their forces. I like the hypocrisy being brought out by the show, having these kings and priests who force the helpless common folks into battling for their faith and vilifying witches, all the while, hiring witches to help win their wars for them. The show tells a good story without being too preachy or moralistic.

"Fap. Fap. Fap."

Tom: Personally I love Maria’s character and her fight against heaven’s authority. She’s a classic “I want to do what’s right” character but her portrayal is so endearing and lovable that you can’t help but cheer for her and feel bad when people conspire against her just because she wants to do the noble, if naive, thing. There is indeed fan service in this show. From Maria sleeping naked to her succubus who goes around sleeping with just about any man with a bit of influence she can find. In fact all the witches, save for Maria (sort of) are dressed provocatively. With that said the show retains very little visual fan service episode to episode. Anything that could be considered an erotic visual moment lasts for no more than a few seconds, never making the show feel like a tasteless male gaze pleasing mess.

Linny: The exploitive outfits are balanced out by the sexual scenes used as pure comedic moments. I found myself cracking a smile or a laugh constantly whenever the show makes any references to any sexual situation because the show does its gags pretty well. I love watching every moment of this show as it tackles every story line with such gusto. I never felt like there was an overload of characters or plot lines. And I also love that the show has an abundance of interesting characters that are introduced and mingled in a cohesive nature.

Tom: Maria has been the sleeper hit of the season for me. I wasn’t expecting much but four episodes in and it has more than delivered. The show seems to be building well and I can’t wait to see how it’ll all conclude with episode twelve. And heck its nice to know there's a sequel manga I can dive into when all is said and done.

Introduction:

Welcome to the 65th installment of Bf+Gf Anime Review where you can find a double-sided review that aims to help you decide if various anime are worth watching! Sorry for the huge delay! Let's get back to reviewing Fall Anime from 2014 with Gugure! Kokkuri-san! (Warning this review contains some spoilers).

Gugure! Kokkuri-san:

Synopsis:

Gugure! Kokkuri-san is a twelve episode comedy, supernatural anime based off the manga of the same name. It follows Kohina Ichimatsu, a lonely little girl who has chosen to emotionally distance herself from the world by believing herself to be a doll. A doll does not need to be lonely, it cannot be sad, and runs off of cup noodles. When playing by herself one day Kohina summons Kokkuri-san, a Japanese fox spirit who haunts you if you play Kokkuri-san (a game similar to a ouija board) by yourself. However, upon seeing how poorly Kohina cares for herself he decides to haunt her to take care of her. Unfortunately for Kohina Kokkuri-san only opens the floodgates for other animal spirits to haunt her. Will this poor girl ever be able to eat cup noodles in peace again?

Note: Gugure! Kokkuri-sanis available for streaming at Crunchyroll.com.

"How to Get a Girl to Stay With You 101 - Taught by Kokkuri-san."

Review:

Linny: Gugure! Kokuri-san is the tale of a little girl who claims to be a robot, being haunted and raised by a group of misfit Japanese mythical beings. This show soars miles above the others by using its wacky premise to deliver some grade A jokes and humor. Almost every episode had a scene or two that had us in stitches with gags that were bizarre, uncouth and even downright wtf.

Tom: There’s a lot of strong, dark humor oozing from this premise. Every episode deals with some pretty dark subject matter and origins for our cast of characters. Everything is absurdly hilarious but if you stop and think about things a moment it’s actually morbidly dark. The show never becomes depressing though, always rolling with laughs. Sometimes though, some jokes go a bit far.

"He goes too far."

Linny: As with a lot of comedic anime these days, there is of course the "almost token" pedophile character who is "so in love" with our clearly grade schooler protagonist so there is often a scene or dialogue that may offend or annoy some viewers. But as Tom says, the show plays off most of it very well and also makes it clear that the other characters clearly do not approve or condone those actions so all in all, the sexual jokes only made us cringe like once or twice during the entire show. But thanks to its great gags, we were always eagerly awaiting each new episode. It helped that almost every character in the show brought some shock or humour value to the show and kept us hooked to it.

"Ladies, pay attention, once two men are fighting over you its a good chance to get away with whatever you want while they're not watching."

Tom: Book ending the majesty that is Kokkuri-san are two opening and ending sequences. The opening is packed full of humor within its catchy beat. It’s unfortunate that this opening was never translated as even audience members who can’t understand Japanese can clearly tell, there’s a lot of comedy here and it's a pity it wasn’t localized properly. The show is also brought to a close by a beautiful piece of music followed by one of the best next episode preview gags in anime history. You’ll see below what we’re talking about.

Linny: This show has so much to offer you if you're a fan of bizarre and outlandish comedies that revolve around school girls. I was going to say moe girls but Kohina...is in a category of her own. Just like the show is in a category of its own. Do pick this show up if you're looking for a new comedy or if you're just a general fan of funny anime. For tickling my funny bone nonstop and having some really innovative features, I give this show a 9.0 out of 10. It has definitely earned itself a place on my all time favorite anime comedy list

Tom: Kokkuri-san is a damn fine comedy, not just of the Fall 2014 season, but in a league along with the other great comedies in anime history. It remains one of the strongest shows Linny and I have watched together since starting our reviews and is a personal favorite of mine. For telling such a dark story with the best comedy these characters have to offer I’m awarding Kokkuri-san a 9.5 out of 10.

Combined Score: 9.25 out of 10

"Best ending gag ever."

Thanks for reading our review! Expect previews for The Rolling Girls and Maria - The Virgin Witch tomorrow! See you Sunday!